‘Bot Diggity: r-one Robots For All
Posted on March 20th, 2015 by Mary Lord
They clean floors, deliver drinks, fetch like puppies, even tell jokes. But can personal robots improve engineering education?
James McLurkin, an assistant professor of computer science at Rice University, certainly thinks so. And no wonder. The pioneer of swarming robotics has seen his bagel-size ’bot transform an introductory engineering course into an unabashedly fun way to convey circuits, mechanics, and other core concepts.
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Tags: ASEE Prism, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Curriculum, engineering education, James McLurkin, programming, r-one, Rice University, Robotics, robots in education, STEM education, swarmbots, VEX
A Robot Block Party on the campus of Brown University in Providence, R.I., FIRST Robotics and LEGO League contests, and Botball regionals in New Mexico are just some of the 250-plus events taking place around the country during National Robotics Week.
The STEM Voice™ Video Competition asks kids in grades 5-12 to create videos that show the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math. They can act in it, create an animation, sing – the video just has to be appropriate for all viewers. Two grand prize winners will receive $1,000 in cash awards. The submission deadline is April 17, 2015.
Working with students from the University of Maryland and Brigham Young University, NASA engineers have created a free, alternative-reality game called DUST designed to get teens – particularly young women and minorities – interested in STEM. The challenge: Figure out how to save their parents after meteorites drop a mysterious dust that knocks out adults worldwide.
Last year, President Obama fielded basketballs lobbed from a hand-built catapult and test drove a search-and-rescue robot at the 2014 White House Science Fair. On Monday, March 23, the White House agaim will host dozens of young scientists and engineers – and you can watch it live online. 
Want to get students from preschool to high school excited about learning? Discover how to incorporate authentic, hands-on engineering activities and projects in your STEM classes at ASEE’s annual K-12 Workshop in Seattle on June 13, 2015. 
Pow! Kaboom! Building on the surging popularity of the Avengers, Batman, Captain America and other movie superheroes, the National Science Foundation and National Nanotechnology Initiative have launched a new competition to encourage students to “think big” and pursue STEM.
Teams of students in grades 6 to 8 follow the engineering design process to develop and build a mechanical arm that can lift and move an empty 12-ounce soda can using hydraulics for power. One group designs and builds the grasping hand, another team the lifting arm, and a third team the rotation base. The three groups must work to communicate effectively through written and verbal communication and sketches.
The NACME Pre-Engineering Student Scholarship Program recognizes the nation’s highest achieving African American, Latino, and American Indian high school seniors who have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership skills, and a commitment to science and engineering as a career goal. Each winner receives a $2,500 scholarship. Apply by March 15, 2015.
